


Words Spoken

by Sinclaironfire



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: BAMF Bentina Beakley, But he's shit at saying them, F/M, It takes an invasion for Scrooge and Beakley to say anything to each other., Just a normal day at SHUSH, Ludwig wins the bet, Scrooge McDuck Has Feelings, Scrooge and Beakley UST, So is Beakley, There's a betting pool, UST, everyone can see it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:33:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28322415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinclaironfire/pseuds/Sinclaironfire
Summary: A minor slip of the tongue from Scrooge sends his and 22's relationship into a tailspin.
Relationships: Bentina Beakley & Scrooge McDuck, Bentina Beakley/Scrooge McDuck, Ludwig Von Drake & Scrooge McDuck
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Words Spoken

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cybra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cybra/gifts).



> To Cybra! Merry Christmas my dearest friend!

If you were to ask Ludwig Von Drake who was the best spy team in his entire agency, he would have answered “Agent 22 and Scrooge McDuck” without a second thought. If you were to ask Ludwig Von Drake who were the worst interpersonal agents in the agency, he would have answered “Agent 22 and Scrooge McDuck” without a second thought.

Yes, it was true. The world-famous Scrooge McDuck and the devastatingly clever Agent 22 were simultaneously the best and the worst. They got along swimmingly, they had the best pre-ass kicking one-liners, and their mission success rate was beyond compare, and yet there was that small issue that they had innocently developed together. Somewhere between Agent 22 barely wanting to work with him and Scrooge heckling her with her dedication to protocol, they had in fallen in love.

It was the worst kept secret in the entire agency.

Everyone and anyone could see it and those who would not admit that the actions that Scrooge and 22 displayed where on the level of love, would freely admit that they were close…too close. However, there was nothing wrong with agents dating or getting married. It was bound to happen sooner or later in an agency such as SHUSH. You put people together, throw them in high risk scenarios, make them spend boundless amounts of time together and sooner or later, sparks were going to fly.

Ludwig didn’t expect it to happen to 22 or to Scrooge and certainly not to each other.

22 was…well intense. She was clever, she was strong, she knew how to break a man’s neck in over twenty different way. She was as beautiful as she was intimidating and 22 was very intimidating. Many a man had attempted, emphasis on attempted, to court her but they all fizzled out to embers. 22 did not have the patience nor the time for fools who thought they could win her over with clever words and phrases, grand displays of love, or showing off what they were made of. Fools, in 22’s opinion, were made to be walked over.

That sentiment was not surprising when it came from 22, but it was when she had apparently fallen for the largest fool, in her own words, that the agency had ever hired. Scrooge McDuck was the very definition of foolishness. If one looked in the dictionary for fool, Scrooge’s face would be there.

Scrooge McDuck was a ten times over trillionaire. He, unlike many other men of his financial status, did not spend his days going over business reports, investing, accounting, or performing hostile takeovers. Scrooge could never sit still long enough to do any of those things. Instead, Scrooge put his energy to good use and went on adventures. These adventures were filled to the brim with flirtations with death, huge physical trauma, and high reward. Ludwig guessed that Scrooge was an adrenaline junkie or a glutton for punishment…maybe both.

Ludwig would be the first to admit that pairing Scrooge and 22 together was an unusual combo, but Scrooge did have the knowledge and 22 did have the experience. The mission made sense, the partnership was less so, but Ludwig hoped that with some time and maybe a near death experience or two, it would provide a general basis for a somewhat productive partnership.

It held true with 22 requesting to be paired up with Scrooge for future missions and Scrooge outright refusing to work with anyone who wasn’t 22.

22 had the grace to be somewhat nonchalant about it. She came into his office, gave a rave review on how cohesive the partnership had been, and why it made sense for an unexperienced field agent such as Scrooge to be paired up with her, the more mature and experienced agent, for future missions. In her view, it made sense. Good sense that kept the agency running while also giving her what she wanted. Ludwig saw no issue with it. Scrooge, on the other hand, had the grace of a drunken hippo performing the waltz when making his demands. The consultant stormed into his office with his usual swagger and a cheeky grin and then proceeded to, quite loudly compliment the hell out of 22 while disparaging every other agent in SHUSH.

“SHUSH WOULD BE DOOMED IF YOU DIDN’T PARTNER ME AND 22 UP!” he stated/demanded/shouted.

The man really didn’t have an indoor voice when he was excited, Ludwig now realized.

But as 22 and Scrooge wanted to be partnered up, Ludwig saw no reason not to go through with their request. It would be interesting to see how 22 and Scrooge got along in the long term. Heaven knows that Scrooge could have used a slice or two of humble pie and 22 was in desperate need of learning to release the tension she carried. At worst, they would have an amiable friendship, at best a romance. Or the latter would happen if not for the current issue at hand. Scrooge and 22 wouldn’t move beyond flirtation or little glances.

It was as annoying as it was infuriating.

Everyone could see it. Everyone knew of it. Yet, for one reason or another, Scrooge and 22 remained at a stalemate. They were stuck on the precipice of a full-fledged romance. Falling in would have cemented everything that they felt towards on another. Stepping back? No one knew. 22 was never attached to any agent as she was to Scrooge and as for Scrooge? Ludwig was never one to make an unjust assumption, but Scrooge for all of his wealth and connections, did not seem to have anyone in his life. The man needed people.

22 was people, but more importantly, 22 was someone who actually cared for him.

That was as rare as all get out. If Scrooge was smart, and he was, he would actually make a move. The paralysis in this relationship moved both ways. It was so bad, that a betting pool was made within the agency. There was little doubt that Scrooge and 22 cared for each other. However, there was the matter of who would make the first move. The odds were on Scrooge to break the ice, but there were those who favored 22.

Personally, Ludwig doubted that either would make the first move and he wasn’t just saying that because he had a financial investment in the pool either.

Scrooge and 22 were deeply complicated people. Although it was obvious that they cared for one another, neither would be the first to push the bonds of friendships towards courtship. It was new territory for them. There were no protocols to follow and the cost should it fail was too high for Scrooge to be comfortable with. Ludwig understood their issue, but the tension was growing too hard, too fast for anyone else in SHUSH to be comfortable with.

There were other agents to think of, not to mention his own wellbeing on if Scrooge or 22 would ever take the next step. Speaking of his own wellbeing, the ropes around his wrists were starting to chafe.

“Eh, Scroogey-boy, do you have any lotion on you?” he asked.

Scrooge, who was as equally tied up albeit with a rope around his beak, glared. If he did have the ability to speak, Ludwig had the strangest feeling that he would have peppered his speech with a few choice words.

“I was just asking,” Ludwig said. “Sheesh, you are so grumpy today.”

There was that glare again. Honestly, he didn’t know what had put Scrooge in such a snit. It wasn’t like this was the first he had been bound and gagged, held against his will with over a dozen merciless mercenaries prepared to end his lie with a moment’s notice.

Scrooge, through sheer force of will, broke free of the gag. “Uh, Ludwig? In case you haven’t noticed, things are a bit dicey at the moment.”

“Yes? And?” It didn’t the fact that his wrists were still hurting.

“I don’t have any lotion. I…22 has my spare supply.”

“That’s so unlike you, Scroogey. What’s the matter with you?”

Again with the glare! If Ludwig hadn’t known Scrooge as well as he did, he would have assumed he was angry at him.

“What’s the matter? SHUSH has been invaded, we’re being held hostage, international secrets are at risk of being compromised, and-and I don’t know where 22 is!”

“Ah, but we know where she is coming,” Ludwig offered, somewhat helpfully. “Looky, 22 will be here in a few moments and here she will be saving us from catastrophe. It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3.”

“…I don’t think she’s coming,” Scrooge admitted.

“Bah! What crazy thought! Did you hit your head when you were captured?”

Scrooge shook his head. “You don’t understand.”

“If you were to tell me I would,” Ludwig pressed. “Is something wrong between you and 22?”

“I don’t know!” Scrooge shrugged in exasperation. “I thought we were fine this morning and then suddenly, she acted so cold towards me I thought I was in the Klondike!”

“What did you do to her?”

Scrooge immediately became flustered. “I didn’t do anything! She was the one who became a blizzard!”

“And what did you become?” Ludwig asked.

“An idiot!” Scrooge all but wailed.

“Oh boy this here is serious,” he nodded sagely. “What did you do afterwards?”

Scrooge went oddly silent. It was a feat that Ludwig never thought he would live to see. “I…we…we went our separate ways.”

Agent 22 was not having a good day. There were many days that she had that would qualify as a “bad day”, but the one that she was currently having now qualified as a cluster-fuck of a day. It had all started round midnight or so where after a particularly grueling mission (Why was Scrooge so damn insistent on shouting a battle cry right before attacking she would never know.) They had escaped, barely, and retrieved the skull of Skit-ahu and promptly retired to their SHUSH secured hotel room.

Everything was fine.

The mission was successful!

And then, suddenly, without any warning, 22 heard the words she never thought she would hear from Scrooge McDuck who was curled up on his side of the bed, “22, I love you.”

Panic surged through her. This was uncharted territory. This was dangerous and in the face of danger, a well-seasoned spy had two options 1. Fight or 2. Flee. The idea of jumping out of the hotel window was an appealing one, but that meant finding a new hotel room and with how late it was and the prices in the city, it would be morning before she found suitable. As for killing Scrooge?

She was too scared to even entertain the idea.

With fight and flight out of the question, all that was left was for her to lay paralyzed in her own bed as Scrooge cuddled up to her. What was she meant to say? How could he just say that to her without any warning? Yes, Scrooge was a devil-may-care idiot, but he had the decency to give her a five second warning before doing something stupid. What on earth was he thinking? Just saying, “I love you”, like that? Out of the blue? She thought that they had an understanding! There were agreements to their partnership!

He did the stupidly risky ideas!

She did the stupidly powerful moves!

They were a team!

They were partners!

And now he wanted to change it to being partner partners?

Without any warning? It was unfair and unsportsman-like. To spring that on her, without any chance to prepare or to come up with a plan? How could he do…22 shook her head. She should have known this was going to happen. Scrooge was an idiot and as for her? She was in love. Hopelessly, stupidly in love with him. It wasn’t like she meant to or planned it out. It just sort of happened. It was really quite annoying. It was their twenty-fifth mission together. A stake-out of all things SHUSH sent them on. Scrooge didn’t have the patience for a stake-out. The man couldn’t sit still to save his life. How they’d manage to cramp themselves into a small bunker outside of a supposed lair, she never knew. Eventually, the multi-trillionaire said to her, “22?”

“Hm?” She didn’t take her eyes off the target site.

“I’m going to fall asleep in ten seconds,” Scrooge muttered. “I’m sorry if I drool. I’m tired.”

And ten seconds later, he did fall asleep. Right on her shoulder and he didn’t even drool. How considerate of him. It was then, as her legs ached to be stretched and Scrooge snoozed peacefully, that she was hit with a realization. Scrooge felt comfortable enough to fall asleep in her presence. No other agent dared to for some strange unknown reason, but Scrooge did. In fact, the brilliant businessman did a lot in her presence. He joked, he laughed, and more importantly, he felt comfortable enough to sleep.

Scrooge, the world’s most paranoid man, felt comfortable enough to sleep next to her, the world’s deadliest spy.

It made butterflies bloom in her stomach to her shock. To have that level of trust was amazing. She cherished it. By the very nature of her job, trust was something that never came free. Spying involved a great deal of backstabbing, double crossing, manipulation tactics, and other less than friendly means of persuasion. Such a job made having friends difficult, it made having love even harder. Her life was a series of protocols and procedures with a healthy dose of cloak and dagger.

Which was why she was so pissed off now.

Oh yes, SHUSH had been invaded, hostages were taken, and international secrets were at risk at being exposed on the world stage, but none of this would have happened if Scrooge hadn’t told her that he loved her out of the blue. It made her disoriented. It distracted her. It made her unstable. She needed time to think, to breathe, to get away from Scrooge.

She didn’t know what he was thinking. Why did he say those words to her? Why did he act like nothing was wrong in the morning? Why couldn’t he just talk to her about it instead of pretending like nothing had changed between them when everything had?

She left him at the hotel, found an open bar and buried herself with a good drink and a tawdry love novel that was dripping with cliched tropes. It wasn’t great, but it was enough to distract her from the crushing issue at hand which was Scrooge’s blatant disregard for everything that was their routine until she received a distress call from SHUSH.

Typical.

She wanted a moment for herself and the world had to be thrown into chaos. She radioed Scrooge who had apparently not had the sense to turn his damn comms on. Again, typical. It was up to her to save the day. Luckily for her, the armed mercenaries that had taken SHUSH by storm were not affiliated with FOWL. Unfortunately, they were FOWL wannabes which meant that they did everything to the level of FOWL but in a terrifically shitty way. Second-rate plans, second-rate goons, and second-rate evil monologues.

But they went all out on the guns and ammo!

Finding Scrooge and Ludwig was the easy part. Getting out alive proved to be a challenge. It was made worse by Scrooge’s inability to communicate with her in a productive manner. “It’s about time you got here, 22!” he snapped. “I was starting to think that I would have to save the day by myself single-handedly.”

“Really?” She forced them to hit the ground lest they be struck by the barrage of bullets. “Was that before or after I broke you out?”

“OH ha, ha, ha….” Scrooge mocked as he took out the sniper. “Where were you?”

“I was having a drink,” she freely admitted. “I needed time to think.”

“About what?” he demanded. “You were the one who snapped at me!”

“You could have said something!” she hissed as she punched her way to freedom. “A warning would have been nice!”

“A warning?” Scrooge sputtered. “What on earth are you talking about, 22?”

She returned fire. “I love you?”

Scrooge caught a live grenade and threw it back just in time. “You could have picked a better time to tell me that!” Was he angry? Yes. Was he utterly delighted that she returned his feelings? YES! He hadn’t felt this excited since he earned his dime! Oh, he would have to do things right. This called for a grade A adventure, a stunning treasure, romantic moonlight and- and OH! He was too giddy to think straight. This moment was wonderful! “I love you too, 22!”

“No!” 22 growled. “Last night? You said it to me? Right before bed?”

Scrooge blushed. “I said that?” he squeaked. “…really…?”

“YES!” She paused as she reloaded her gun. “Didn’t you mean it?”

“I mean of course I mean it! But…but…”

The main issue was that he didn’t remember saying it. It was late, he was tired, he wanted to sleep and what kind of agent would he be if he didn’t say goodnight to his partner in crime? He said goodnight! He was sure of it…almost, kinda…22 did look beautiful last night and the mission was so hard….He was tired. It was late. 22 was amazing…Scrooge came to the conclusion that he hadn’t said goodnight like he intended.

Well shit.

This was not how he thought this would go at all. Granted, 22 could make gunfire romantic, he thought that something a little more romantic could help him here instead of lobbing grenades back to the enemies. BUT STILL! 22 loved him! WOO-HOO!

“Are you telling me,” Ludwig started “That you didn’t intend to tell her and that your actions were caused by an unrelated event?”

Scrooge meekly nodded.

“CONGRATS! I’m so happy for you and me too cause I won the bet!”

“Focus, gentlemen!” 22 commanded. “Focus! Liberate SHUSH and then we can have this discussion! But Scrooge?”

“Yes, 22?” he asked as they took command of a tank.

“I love you too.”


End file.
